Southampton and Leeds United named best academies in English football for producing high earning players

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Joe Hall

I'm a sports and sports business journalist with City A.M. Follow me for coverage of the industry behind sports and the money made by top athletes.

I've provided expert commentary on sports business for both TV and radio, including the BBC World Service.

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James Milner and Fabian Delph, who played together at Aston Villa, are both graduates of the Leeds United academy (Source: Getty)

Joe Hall

Southampton and Leeds United are the best breeding grounds in England for footballers on a super salary in excess of €100,000 (£85,000) per week.

The two clubs are the only English academies to be able to boast of more than one player currently among the game's 112 highest earners, according to a new study from Norwegian financial consultants Axo Finans.

Southampton produced Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale, now at Arsenal and Real Madrid respectively, while Leeds United graduates Fabian Delph and James Milner enjoy bumper pay cheques at Manchester City and Liverpool.

While 43 per cent of all players with a stated salary over €100,000 per week now play in the Premier League, English academies themselves trained just 15 of those players — 13 per cent.

Walcott and Bale both started their careers at Southampton (Source: Getty)

Barcelona and Brazil best for big bucks

Axo Finans' study found that Barcelona's famed La Masia academy deserves its reputation as a factory of footballing superstars with six graduates (Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique and Pedro) currently among football's highest earners, more than double any other club in the world.

The next best academies for high earners are Brazil's FC Sao Paulo, Bayern Munich and Valencia with three players apiece.